Zachary Bradford, 3, is in a race against time for a life-saving transplant as his parents face the heartbreak of not knowing if he’ll survive until Christmas
Zachary Bradford is a cheerful boy, full of fun and always smiling, despite the awful health problems he has suffered since birth.
The three-year-old has brought his parents, Jade and Rhys, and his younger brother Reuben, two, so much joy, but without a life-saving liver and bowel transplant, they are terrified they will lose Zachary before the year is out.
Jade, 24, said: “A few weeks ago they said Zachary may not survive much longer, but he is here, he has a lot of health issues and spends more time in hospital than out of it. We really need the transplant to come urgently now.
“As parents you never expect to be in this position and we are helpless. It’s coming up to Christmas and we don’t know if Zachary will be here.” Zachary is one of 280 children on the transplant list, hoping for the gift of life this Christmas. The Mirror successfully campaigned to change the law on organ donation in England to an opt-out system.
But the families of the bereaved still have the final say. Jade said: “We want to do anything we can to raise awareness of Zachary’s story and all the children waiting. We hope someone else can save him because we’re not able to.” Jade and Rhys found out at the 10-week scan that their baby had an abdominal defect, gastroschisis, which meant there was a hole in his stomach wall.
At 28 weeks, a scan revealed Zachary’s bowel had perforated and he needed to be delivered urgently. He then needed artificial feeding, which affected his liver, and his bowel was small following the surgery, which also made feeding a problem. By the age of one, Zachary was listed for a liver and bowel transplant. He waited six months before getting a new liver, but developed sepsis and his liver failed. He was re-listed for the liver and small bowel transplant in the summer.
Watching his condition deteriorate, Jade and Rhys, who are from Glasgow, have done all they can to make memories with their son, fearing their time with him will be short. Jade said: “Zachary is so happy and smiley, he’s cheeky. He bosses the [hospital] staff and his little brother and he’s a charmer. He’s giving us words now, but can’t walk yet. His development is delayed from spending so much time in a hospital bed.”
Jade and Rhys recently got married so that Zachary could be part of their celebrations. Jade said: “It was a lovely day. We’ve also bought a house, been on holidays, we’re trying to pack as much as possible into life and make memories.”
In 2023/24, 252 children received a life-saving or life-changing transplant. Of these, 151 were from a deceased donor and 101 from a living donor. Eight children sadly died on the waiting list for an organ transplant.
Jade said: “Organ donation isn’t something I’d ever really thought about, and I wouldn’t have thought about children donating or needing transplants. It isn’t just Zachary, there are hundreds of children waiting. It’s hard, so difficult, but there can be life from death.”
Another child whose life would be transformed by a transplant is Sophie Joscelyne. She is spending her second Christmas on the waiting list. Sophie, 11, from Poole, Dorset, who met TV presenter Holly Willoughby at a charity event in London in September, needs a double lung transplant to enable her to have surgery to repair a congenital heart defect.
Sophie’s mum Laura Gilbert, 37, said: “The longer the wait, the harder the mental challenge, along with physical decline. “Naturally, our biggest fear is we don’t get the call in time or Sophie deteriorates further and a transplant isn’t a viable option. We will be staying local at Christmas, enjoying the moments we still get to share. We will always have the thought that the phone could ring – it would be the best present for Sophie.”
There were 39 deceased child organ donors in 2023/24. More young donors are needed, and if organ donation is possible, parents will always be asked to make a decision as part of their child’s end-of-life care. Laura said: “To make these decisions at the darkest moments of their loved ones passing must be incredibly tough. You have literally the chance to change and save lives by joining the organ donation register, and the impact and magnitude of that gift will forever stay with the people who need that.”
Anthony Clarkson, the Director of Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “Losing a child is tragic and such a difficult time, which is why we are asking parents to think about what they might do around the issue of organ donation now. Families tell us knowing their child has helped other people, and another family is not facing the loss of a child, can be comforting.”
